An Officer and a Gentleman

Boasting the consummate embodiment of the modern fairy tale ending, An Officer and a Gentleman makes the idea that a handsome young man in uniform might come sweep you off your feet and lift you up where you belong seem…well, at least a little plausible. That the handsome young man in question (Richard Gere) has to grow up and mature as a person in order to be worthy of his factory worker girlfriend, Paula (Debra Winger), adds another touch of realism, and makes that famous closing scene even more sublime.